DNN 8 is a major leap forward for DNN.  There are many new features like MVC and SPA module development support, OAuth2 server support, a new HTML Editor, the Dynamic Content Creator and a new default skin and template.  In addition to all of these new features, we are also updating the DNN architecture.  We are working to enable the creation of custom DNN distributions, to improve platform performance and to get rid of some outdated portions of the platform that are holding us back.

As we have progressed on DNN 8 development, we have been faced with some tough choices.  Some of the architectural and performance improvements that are needed will require us to break backwards compatibility.  In speaking with many community members on these issues, we have consistently heard the same message – do what is right to move the platform forward.  In most cases these changes will have no impact on your use of DNN. We are spending a lot of effort to ensure that the core platform features continue to work properly even after these changes.  We are also working with the Evoq team to ensure that the Evoq Content and Evoq Engage products provide a smooth upgrade for our commercial customers.

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Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tool which allows a website owner to quickly integrate different script-based products into a website without needing to edit the underlying pages of the site.   While ‘tag’ in this context can be confusing to some, it m... Continue Reading »

Just over a month ago now, Visual Studio 2015 was released into the wild, I started receiving requests to update my DNN development templates for VS2015 shortly before the release. I typically wait until after the release is RTM to work on templates, simply due to other time commitments and projects. With VS2015 however I was quickly able to get a new release of the Module/Theme development templates out for use.

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Please raise your hand if you've ever wanted to display some dynamic Hotcakes Commerce data in a specific spot and in a specific way within your overall website design layout? And besides that, you really didn’t want to give administrators the option of changing its placement within site? Continue Reading »

We had planned to speak with Phillip Becker this month, but he had a personal emergency he had to tend to.  We’ll get that rescheduled for you soon…  Go figure – we got the technical issues solved, and we loose the speaker.  This left ... Continue Reading »

In a previous post on the upcoming ASP.NET ‘vNext’ release, I covered all of the terminology around ‘Project K’ – which is what it was known as in early betas.   Things have moved along a lot since then, and wi... Continue Reading »

This is an interview I have recorded with Chris Wylie, CEO at Accord LMS, an e-learning solution for DNN which has Evoq Preferred stamp of approval. The LMS space has been the primary focus of Chris and his organization since 2008. Continue Reading »

The ideal way to move open source projects forward is by frequently issuing updated builds during the course of a release. The expectation is that community members install these builds, trial the new functionality, and report back on how things work and/or make fixes to the updated code. A successful beta program engages the user community in helping to improve the product by identifying issues early in the development cycle. Unfortunately, expectations don’t often match reality.

Today there is too much friction for users. It’s not that there haven’t been community members interested in the updated builds. Rather, they’ve been reluctant to reinstall the product each time a new build is made available. Upgrading a site can involve lengthy testing to ensure that custom modules continue to work properly and that the site skin didn’t break due to a CSS change in the platform. Fortunately, the requirement to reinstall the DNN Platform each time an interim build is released is now a thing of the past.

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Over the last month the DNN team has been hard at work on DNN 8.  DNN 8 is a big release with a lot of bug fixes, improvements and new features. Many of the DNN 8 changes involve improving the platform architecture to make it easier to maintain as well as providing greater control to users on what features get installed.  We are also working to make it easier to extend DNN in new and interesting ways.  In previous CTPs we introduced new module types, added additional security options for Web Services, started the process of separating admin functions into standalone modules, and introduced a brand new content management option. CTP 4 is focused on three main features: 1) OAuth server support 2) CKEditor as the default HTML Editor 3) Separation of admin modules.

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Every now and again, we’ll throw in a special episode of DNN Hangout, where we talk about something that we believe will be extra beneficial to the community.  Sometimes this will have one or more special guests attached to it, sometimes it won’... Continue Reading »